App's Edwards impresses with passing

The more you watch Appalachian State QB Armanti Edwards (right), the more you appreciate him. He has a reputation for being quick and elusive, but he may actually be a better passer than a runner. His combination of arm strength and accuracy is unusual at any college level, he's adept at picking out open receivers and able to throw on the run. Edwards gave the Mountaineers control of what would be a 35-24 victory at Samford Saturday by completing 18 of 20 passes -- in the first half.

Along the way, Edwards became just the seventh NCAA Division I quarterback to reach 5,000 passing yards and 3,000 rushing yards in a career, and he's only about halfway through his junior year. The first six players to reach these figures, according to ASU stat guru Mike Flynn, were Louisiana-Lafayette's Brian Mitchell (1986-89), Morehead State's David Dinkins (1997-2000), Indiana's Antwaan Randle El (1998-01), Texas' Vince Young (2003-05), Missouri's Brad Smith (2002-05) and Joshua
Cribbs (Kent State - 2001-04).

*While Appalachian improved to 4-2 overall and 2-0 in the Southern Conference, the Mountaineers and everyone else in the SC is looking up at Elon. The Phoenix is 4-0 in the league (6-1 overall) after edging The Citadel Saturday in Charleston, S.C., 27-23. ASU is tied for second with Wofford, which pounded Chattanooga 56-7. The Terriers scored the game's final 49 points on the way to 564 total yards.

*And keep an eye on Western Carolina. The Catamounts made things interesting against Furman, rallying from a 21-0 deficit before losing 28-21 under new coach Dennis Wagner. WCU is 0-3 and has lost 18 straight SC games, but appears to be considerably improved over recent editions.
--Stan Olson